On a high-gravity world with a thin atmosphere it'd be harder to float, fly, or orbit. So high-speed rail and automobiles would be the pinnacle of land transpor

On a high-gravity world with a thin atmosphere it'd be harder to float, fly, or orbit. So high-speed rail and automobiles would be the pinnacle of land transportation with ships being the only way to cross the oceans separating continents. On such a world, a global internet could easily arise before flight. As to whether those inhabitants would be better off than us, I believe that's much more to do with their socio-econo-political systems than their available modes of transportation. Slower vehicles means germs and goods travel slower, and culture too until said internet is built.